Faucet assembly

ABSTRACT

A faucet assembly includes a bushing defining a cutout at a portion of a first end, and a control handle received on the first end of the bushing. The control handle includes an inner wall defining a set screw bore therein, and an outer wall spaced apart from the inner wall, the outer wall defining a visible bore therethrough. The control handle further includes a cavity at least partially defined between the inner wall and the outer wall. The cavity is configured to receive at least a portion of the cutout.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/389,762, filed Dec. 23, 2016, which is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/746,625, filed Jun. 22, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,556,597), which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/110,383, filed Apr. 28, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,062,438), whichclaims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/916,338, filed May 7, 2007. The entire disclosures ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/389,762, U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/746,625, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/110,383, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/916,338 are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to faucets with spray heads. Moreparticularly it relates to such a faucet in which there is a pull-outsprayer mounted on a swivelable harbor.

In one aspect of known faucets with spray heads/handles, prior designs(e.g. as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,921) include a separate elbowwhich is linked at its lower end to inlet hot and cold lines and anoutlet line, and to a mixing valve at its vertical side which isconnected to an actuation handle. This required the outer housing tobulge in order to accommodate the elbow plus the other relevantconnections, and thus created design constraints. It is desirable tohave a more compact assembly for connecting the inlet and outlet linesto a side mounted mixing valve.

In another aspect of known faucets with spray heads/handles, priordesigns included a control handle with an exposed set screw which couldbe inadvertently loosened or corroded by water, and/or reduced theaesthetic appeal of the handle. Some of these handles were also formedwith an unsightly visible cutaway to permit tilting of the handle tooccur (e.g. the valve required both rotation and tilting motion of acontrol lever). Hence, it is also desirable to improve the exterioraesthetics of such control handles without compromising functionality.

In yet another aspect of known faucets with spray heads/handles, priordesigns had a “harbor” for the pull-out spray, the harbor then beingswingable like a standard kitchen faucet. When the housings for theharbor or valve base were non-circular in cross section, it becamesomewhat difficult to easily align the parts to the forward positionbetween uses. U.S. patent application publication 2006/0157127 sought toaddress this concern. However, it had a variety of deficiencies, such asplacing a wear point on the spout hub, which could result in the need toreplace an expensive outer part.

Thus, there is a desire to improve various aspects of such faucetassemblies.

SUMMARY

In one aspect the invention provides a faucet assembly having a mixingvalve and an inlet/outlet assembly connected to the mixing valve. Theinlet/outlet assembly has inlet and outlet lines that are permanentlyaffixed to a face plate (e.g. integrally formed therewith orwelded/brazed thereto), particularly where the face plate is positionedtransverse to the longitudinal axis of the lines.

In another aspect the invention provides a mixing valve with a valvestem and a control handle connected thereto. The control handle has aset screw bore separated from a visible bore. The visible bore providesaccess to a set screw within the set screw bore which attaches an innerwall of the handle to the valve stem, while the visible bore extendsthrough an outer wall of the handle. The visible bore iscircumferentially aligned with the set screw bore.

In this form of the invention there can be a cap which removably coversthe visible bore, such as by using an O-ring to help seal the bore. Thehandle can have a lever arm that extends radially outward from a side ofthe handle, and the visible bore can be positioned at an opposed side ofthe handle from the lever arm.

In yet another preferred form of the invention there can be a bushingwith a cutout that is mounted at least in part between the controlhandle and the mixing valve. This cutout can have a continuous contour(e.g. a keyhole shape) which provides a clearance access to the setscrew at a plurality of angular positions of the valve stem.

In still another form the invention provides a faucet assembly with aspray head harbor having an inner contour. There is a bearing having anouter contour and a base, the outer contour being mateable with theinner contour of the spray head harbor, the base including one of aprojection and a detent. There is also a valve housing including a shaftextending from a land for the base, the land having an other of theprojection and the detent.

The bearing is rotatable on the shaft between a position where theprojection is within the detent, and another position where theprojection is not within the detent. In a preferred form of this aspectof the invention one of the projection and the detent are connected to aspring arm, and the positioning of the detent and projection are such asto define a properly aligned forwardly directed position for the faucetbetween uses.

The present invention has, in various embodiments, various advantages.For example, one embodiment will provide a compact configuration for theouter housing adjacent the linkage between the control valve and inletand outlet lines. Another embodiment provides a decorative handleexterior, while still providing set screw access. Still anotherembodiment can provide positive selection feel when positioning theswivel, particularly when the spout harbor is being returned to itsforwardly directed rest position.

These advantages are achieved in an inexpensive manner (both withrespect to cost of production of the parts and cost of assembly).Further, the parts used to achieve the assembly are believed to havegood reliability over a prolonged period.

These and still other advantages and features of the present inventionwill be apparent from the following and the attached drawings. Ofcourse, the following discussions relates only to preferred embodiments.For a more comprehensive understanding of the full intended scope of theinvention one should look to the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a faucet assemblyaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the faucet assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but with a controlhandle tilted to another position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an inlet/outlet assemblyused with the FIG. 1 faucet assembly;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a bearing of the FIG. 2faucet, partially mounted to a valve housing;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but with bearing fully mounted tothe valve housing;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along section line 9-9 inFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 10-10 in FIG.9;

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the FIG. 1 faucet assembly;

FIG. 12 is a frontal view of a FIG. 5 inlet/outlet assembly;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the FIG. 5 inlet/outlet assembly;

FIG. 14 is a rear view of the FIG. 5 inlet/out assembly; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a bearing of the FIG. 1 faucetassembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly first to FIGS. 1, 2and 11, there is shown a faucet assembly 20 which includes spray head 22connected to a flexible outlet line 24 which is routed through sprayhead harbor 26. Spray head 22 may optionally include a spray controlpushbutton 28, and may also include other controls. Spray head harbor 26is connected to valve housing 30 via bearing 32.

Mixing valve 34 is connected to control handle 36, as also shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. Tilting and/or rotation of control handle 36 determinesthe combination of hot and cold water and/or the volume of wateravailable to spray head 22 via flexible outlet line 24. The valve usedfor this purpose may be any of a number of conventional mixing valves.

Inlet/outlet assembly 38 (see particularly FIGS. 2,5 and 12-14) is influid communication with mixing valve 34. The inlet/outlet assembly 38has inlet lines 40 and outlet line 24 permanently affixed to a faceplate 42 as by casting to integrally form them together, or bywelding/brazing to essentially permanently bond them together.

It is highly preferable to form face plate 42 transverse to thelongitudinal axis of inlet lines 40. Face plate 42 extends verticallywithout the need for a separate elbow, and each of the three lines bendsfrom the vertical to the horizontal in a way that minimizes the need fora bulge. In this regard, it is particularly desirable that the lineshave a sideways bend in them which permits a more compact front-to-backbending because part of the radius is extended side-to-side rather thanjust front-to-back.

One of inlet lines 40 is designed to be connected to a hot water supplyand the other of inlet lines 40 is designed to be connected to a coldwater supply. The inlet lines 40 are in fluid communication with therespective inputs of mixing valve 34. Flexible outlet line 24 is influid communication with an outlet of mixing valve 34. Appropriatemovement of control handle 36 regulates the mixing of the hot and coldinputs, and can also control the flow volume, which are available tospray head 22 via flexible outlet line 24.

Flexible outlet line 24 extends downwardly from the mixing valve 34 atface plate 42, through valve housing 30, then upward back through valvehousing 30, spray head harbor 26, to link to spray head 22. Flexibleoutlet line 24 has weight 44 slidingly adapted thereto to bias flexibleoutlet line 24 in a downward orientation thereby facilitating theautomatic retraction of flexible outlet line 24 when spray head 22 isreturned to a home position in spray head harbor 26.

As may be best appreciated from FIGS. 3 and 4, control handle 36includes a set screw bore 46, which is threaded, which is separate, butcircumferentially aligned with a visible bore 48 in an outer wall of thehandle. Visible bore 48 provides access to tighten a set screw 50 withinset screw bore 46, which attaches an inner wall 52 of handle 36 to avalve stem 54 of mixing valve 34.

In order to control the mixing of the hot and cold inputs, and thevolume of flow output from valve 34, valve stem 54 rotates and tilts. Abushing 55 is included with a keyhole shaped cutout 56 (see FIG. 2)thereby providing a greater range of motion of handle 36, without theneed for an exposed cutaway in handle 36.

To further improve the decorative nature of the assembly, and also toprevent moisture from reaching the set screw connection, there can be acap 58 which removably covers visible bore 48. It may be made of aflexible plastic. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an O-ring seal 49 may bemounted on the cap to help keep water out from the handle interior.

Referring now mostly to FIGS. 7-10 and 15, bearing 32 has an outercontour 60 and a base 62. Outer contour 60 is mateable with an innercontour of spray head harbor 26. Base 62 includes a projection 64mounted on a flexible arm 74.

Valve housing 30 has a tubular shaft 68 extending up from a land 68 forbase 62. Land 68 has a detent/depression 70. Bearing 32 is rotatable onshaft 66 between a position where projection 64 is within detent 70(FIG. 10), and another position where projection 64 is not within detent70 (phantom line in FIG. 9). When the projection 64 aligns with thedetent 70, the spray head harbor 26 will be perfectly alignedautomatically with the valve housing below it.

Another feature of bearing 32 is that it includes a vertical slit 72 sothat it can be compressed to be jammed into spray head harbor 26.Projection 64 on the bottom of bearing 32 is supported by a spring arm74. When bump projection 64 aligns with detent 70, it therefore snapsinto it, notifying the user that they have the right positioning.However, further swiveling force on the support or spray head canreinstate the swinging movement by driving the bump out of the recess.Of course, alternatively, detent 70 can be on base 62 and projection 64can be on land 68.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention can also include avariety of other fittings, bushings, nozzles, washers, nuts and otherfasteners, and other desirable plumbing components, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

In a typical installation the faucet assembly 20 will be mounted on arear mounting ledge of a double basin kitchen sink, or directly behind amultiple basin kitchen sink. Of course, the present invention could beotherwise installed in connection with other plumbing fixtures andfittings. For example, it could be used with a laundry sink.

Various other alternatives are intended within the scope of theinvention. For example, in some embodiments the swivel locator could beused without the inlet/outlet assembly or the decorative handlefeatures. In other embodiments the inlet/outlet assembly could be usedwithout the swivel locator or the decorative handle features. In anyevent, the present invention is not to be limited to the features ofjust the most preferred embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides faucets, preferably pull-out sprayfaucets, with the capability of linking supply and outlet lines in acompact manner, attaching a decorative control handle, and havingpositive feel positioning for the swivel spout.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A faucet assembly comprising: a mixing valveincluding a valve stem; and a control handle connected to the mixingvalve and having an inner wall spaced apart from an outer wall to atleast partially define a cavity, the control handle including a setscrew bore through the inner wall and a visible bore through the outerwall, the set screw bore being separated from the visible bore by thecavity; wherein the control handle has a lever arm that extends radiallyoutward from a side of the control handle, and the visible bore ispositioned at a diametrically opposed side of the control handle fromthe lever arm; and wherein the set screw bore includes a central axis,and in a first position of the control handle, the central axis of theset screw bore is vertical and extends through the visible bore and thecavity.
 15. The faucet assembly of claim 14, wherein the visible boreprovides access to a set screw within the set screw bore, where the setscrew attaches the inner wall of the handle to the valve stem.
 16. Thefaucet assembly of claim 15, wherein the visible bore iscircumferentially aligned with the set screw bore.
 17. The faucetassembly of claim 14, wherein the cavity has a volume larger than eitherthe set screw bore or the visible bore.
 18. The faucet assembly of claim14, further comprising a bushing mounted at least in part between thecontrol handle and the mixing valve, the bushing defining an apertureextending axially through the bushing and a cutout extending radiallythrough the bushing adjacent the aperture.
 19. The faucet assembly ofclaim 18, wherein the cutout of the bushing has a continuous contourwhich provides a clearance access to the set screw at a plurality ofangular positions of the valve stem; wherein in a second position of thecontrol handle, the central axis of the set screw bore is not verticaland extends through the cutout of the bushing, the visible bore, and thecavity; and wherein in the first and second positions, the outer wall ofthe control handle is positioned both above and below the bushing. 20.The faucet assembly of claim 19, wherein the cutout of the bushing is akeyhole-shaped cutout, the bushing being mounted at least in partbetween the control handle and the mixing valve; wherein the outer wallof the handle does not include an exposed cutaway therethrough.
 21. Thefaucet assembly of claim 14, wherein the visible bore is axially alignedwith the set screw bore to provide access to tighten a set screw withinthe set screw bore.
 22. The faucet of claim 14, further comprising abushing with a keyhole-shaped cutout, the bushing being mounted at leastin part between the control handle and the mixing valve; wherein theouter wall of the handle does not include an exposed cutawaytherethrough.
 23. A faucet assembly comprising: a bushing defining acutout at a portion of a first end; and a control handle received on thefirst end of the bushing, the control handle comprising: an inner walldefining a set screw bore therein; an outer wall spaced apart from theinner wall, the outer wall defining a visible bore therethrough; and acavity at least partially defined between the inner wall and the outerwall; wherein the cavity is configured to receive at least a portion ofthe cutout.
 24. The faucet assembly of claim 23, wherein the controlhandle is configured to rotate between a first position and a secondposition, such that in the first position, the portion of the cutout isnot received in the cavity, and in the second position, the portion ofthe cutout is received in the cavity.
 25. The faucet assembly of claim23, wherein the control handle is configured to receive, directlybetween the set screw bore and the visible bore, at least a portion ofthe cutout.
 26. The faucet assembly of claim 23, wherein the controlhandle is configured to receive, between the first wall and the secondwall, at least a portion of the cutout.
 27. The faucet assembly of claim23, wherein the visible bore is circumferentially aligned with the setscrew bore.
 28. The faucet assembly of claim 23, wherein the outer wallof the handle does not include an exposed cutaway therethrough.
 29. Thefaucet assembly of claim 23, wherein the cavity has a volume larger thaneither the set screw bore or the visible bore.
 30. A faucet assemblycomprising: a bushing defining a cutout at a portion of a first end; anda control handle received on the first end of the bushing, the controlhandle comprising: an inner wall defining a set screw bore therein, theset screw defining a central axis; and an outer wall spaced apart fromthe inner wall, the outer wall defining a visible bore therethroughdisposed along the central axis; wherein at least a portion of thecutout is configured to intersect the central axis.
 31. The faucetassembly of claim 30, wherein the control handle is configured to rotatebetween a first position and a second position, such that in the firstposition, the portion of the cutout does not intersect the central axis,and in the second position, the portion of the cutout intersects thecentral axis.
 32. The faucet assembly of claim 31, wherein the cutoutdefines a continuous contour configured to provide a clearance accessfrom the visible bore to the set screw bore when the control handle isin the first position.
 33. The faucet assembly of claim 30, wherein theouter wall of the handle does not include an exposed cutawaytherethrough.